The Write Stuff Challenge:

 The Great Horned Owl

Irving Wins 1st Place, Several Other Writers Recognized

The Greater Pinnacle Peak Association (GPPA) and A Peek at the Peak Magazine (The Peak) thank all the writers who submitted articles. We also thank the judges from Wild at Heart, Friends of the Scenic Drive, GPPA and The Peak for their services. The competition was so close between the final group of articles that The Peak has decided to announce one winner, three runner-ups and one honorable mention.

The top photograph shows Scott Irving (right) getting instructions on how to release the rehabilitated owl back to the wild.  The instructor is Bob Fox of Wild at Heart. The lower picture shows The Peak's editor, Les Conklin, releasing a second owl, as Bob Fox looks on.  It turned out that Wild at Heart had two birds that were ready to be released and the other organizers of the event surprised Les with the honor of releasing the bird. Les was amazed that the bird was as "light as a pillow of feathers." Incidentally, the birds were last seen roosting together on a tree branch on the edge of the cookout area, very close to the release point.

 Enjoy some good stories by clicking on the links below.

And The Winner Is....

• Night Owl Hotspot by Scott Irving

Runners-up are ...

• Owl' Wait For You by Merri Zohar & Amanda Schaefer
• The Great Horned Owl by L.S. Krause
• The Wise Old Owl by J. Douglas Hinds

Honorable Mention goes to ...

• Bubo The Great Horned Owl by Rick Smith

Rick's article was disqualified because it exceeded the maximum length of 500 words but it is being  recognized  because of its creativeness and quality.

Articles to be Published

All the above articles will be published in The Peak. The winner's article will be published in the October issue of The Peak. The remaining articles will be published in the November and December issues of The Peak, with two articles appearing each month.

The winner writer, Scott Irving:

• Received $100 from GPPA
• Participated in the release of a Great Horned Owl back to the wild at Cookout at the Ranch VIII
• Received a free table for eight at Cookout at the Ranch VIII (a $270 value)
• Received a photograph of the owl, himself and the folks from Wild at Heart before the bird's release
• A one year membership in the Greater Pinnacle Peak Association (a $40 value that includes having The Peak mailed to his residence

The runners-up and honorable mention winners will:

• Received a free ticket to Cookout at the Ranch VIII so they can observe the owl's release (a $35 value)
• A one year membership in the Greater Pinnacle Peak Association (a $40 value that includes having The Peak mailed to their residence.

GPPA and The Peak encourages all the these authors to submit articles on other subjects for possible publication in The Peak.  Because of the enthusiastic response to the Write Stuff Challenge, GPPA and The Peak will conduct future contests on other subjects.

Congratulations and thank you for giving a hoot!

Write Stuff Contest & Rules